E-GIANTS
Dave Klein was the Giants' beat writer
for The Star-Ledger from 1961 to 1995.
He is the author of 26 books and he is one of
only four sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls.
Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.

By DAVE KLEIN
It is just about time.

You can tell because the Giants are not in training camp tonight, they are in Baltimore, and they are going to play the Ravens in the first preseason game of the summer.

In exactly one month from today, they will play their season opener -- that over-blown Sibling Rivalry Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night television, pitting quarterback Peyton Manning against his younger brother, Giants' quarterback Eli Manning.

Between now and then, there are hundreds of things for head coach Tom Coughlin to do, hundreds of decisions to make. But the standard that has been set for this team, by the players and the fans, is destined to put pressure on the little head coach in even greater degree than the pressure he puts on himself.

"This game," he says, "will be a great test. The Ravens are a very physical team, and a team that has accomplished a lot. We need to play [well], we need it so that we can get the proper evaluation done on our guys. It will be the best source of being able to critique, analyze and improve."

Many of the veterans, however, have a decidedly different view of these preseason games (perhaps new NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will allow us to call them exhibition games again). They view them, especially the first two, as incredible wastes of time.

Superstar running back Tiki Barber was asked what he hoped to accomplish from this first game. "To get it over," he said. "The most important thing in the first game is getting it over."

There are, however, certain benefits. "We can get to start game-planning," he noted. "It will be more than just running plays in practice. We'll have a plan and a purpose and it will be especially good for the younger guys."

Barber, who will play only a portion of the first quarter along with several other regulars -- like Manning -- feels that two summer-fun games would be sufficient for most veterans. "You know, two is just fine for us, we know what to do, what's expected of us. I think the other two are crucial for the guys trying to make the team. There is really no better way of having the coaches do thorough evaluations than in game situations."

Then a final question was put to him. "Tiki, have you ever played in a memorable preseason game?"

The answer was a resounding: "NO."

Five veterans will not play Friday night. They are strongside linebacker LaVar Arrington (knee), tight end Jeremy Shockey (concussion), rookie wide receiver Sinorice Moss (quad), weakside linebacker Carlos Emmons (burner) and right guard Chris Snee (knee).

Arrington, who fled the Washington Redskins after several seasons of, shall we say, mutual discontent, was quick to take the aggressor's viewpoint. "The minute I knew they were going to slow me down, I knew it would become a media issue," he said. "We are just staying the course and trouble shooting. The knee has been swollen lately, but it is nothing at all to be concerned about."

It was surgically repaired a while ago, before the Giants signed him to a lucrative Unrestricted Free Agent contract (but not nearly as lucrative and he and his agents had demanded). "It is not serious, not at all," he said. "When veteran athletes get sore, it swells. Things will swell up. Not a problem."

Coughlin plans to rotate three of his four quarterbacks -- in order, Manning followed by Tim Hasselbeck followed by Jared Lorenzen, with Rob Johnson working next week against Kansas City.

"I am anxious to see how they play, how they do in game situations," he said. "I want to see their poise, how they do in situations they are confronted with, how they handle and play under pressure."

With the regulars scheduled only for token time, it becomes a game of huge importance to the younger players, the depth-chart guys and the rookies. Among the highlights will be how running back Brandon Jacobs fares -- he was sensational as a rookie last summer but once the season started it became clear he had too much finesse to acquire in too short a time. He has worked hard at learning the position, not just how to run.

"He still has a lot to learn," says Barber, "but he has already learned so much. The Giants ask different, complicated things from their running backs. He has to know the protections, he has to watch three or four guys and know which one to take in pass rush. Brandon is great with the ball in his hands; now it's all the other stuff he had to learn.

" First round draft pick Mathias Kiwanuka, the undersized defensive end, will get a long look and a lot of work. So, too, linebacker Gerris Wilkinson, defensive tackle Barry Cofield and offensive tackle Guy Whimper.

The new secondary -- with three of the four positions now manned by different players -- will make a start at coming together. Only strong safety Gibril Wilson started last year. Cornerback Sam Madison and strong safety Will Demps were not on the team; cornerback Corey Webster was a rookie (second round) who spent much of the season learning.

In all, it may not be a memorable game for Tiki and the veterans, but careers will be cemented or squandered by the younger hopefuls, and for that reason these games are always, if not thrilling, at least meaningful -- not to mention a brief reunion with the Giants' most recent head coach, current Ravens' offensive coordinator Jim Fassel.

Check out Dave's website at E-GIANTS where you can subscribe to his newsletters which run much more frequently than what is available here.
- Team Giants

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